Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat

It's well known that glutathione is important for the normal functioning of the eye. Some of the earliest studies with GSH focused on its role in preventing cataracts, and GSH is relatively well known among ophthal-mologists. Specialists in ear, nose and throat (ENT) and in dentistry have only recently become aware of the role of glutathione in the diseases they treat. Given the critical roles of GSH as the body's most important naturally occurring antioxidant, its ability to detoxify substances encountered in the environment and its immune-sustaining abilities, glutathione research is now finally picking up in these fields as well.

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Cataract is a clouding (opacification) that takes place in the lens of the eye. It is the leading cause of morbidity and functional impairment among the elderly and leads to more than one million operations per year in the United States.

The lens of the eye is composed of deceptively simple tissue. This com-pletely transparent part of the eye has the job of focusing light on the retina, which it does by changing shape to adjust its focal length. Scientists believe that any damage to the lens, no matter how small, contributes to opacification. This usually results from physical injury, repeated exposure to ionizing radiation (such as sunlight) or any of a host of different ill-nesses. Over time the damage accumulates and the lens begins to cloud.

Oxidative stress plays a role in the aging of the lens, so antioxidants are an important defense against cataracts. The researcher M.A. Babizhaev in Russia measured the breakdown products of lipid peroxidation as cataracts developed. He found that as the cataract worsened, oxidative stress increased. An Italian team at the University of Bari went a step further and demonstrated that in people with cataracts the loss of GSH paralleled the increase in oxidative breakdown products.

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